Cancer Was a Good Thing

Cancer Was A Good Thing

*Dodges the sticks, rocks, and other dangerous objects being thrown at me* HEY. LET ME EXPLAIN. 

So, most of you know that March 2012, my brother Morgan was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, a common form of cancer. He went into remission October 2012. I can feel all the hate coming my way for the title, so let me tell you why my family and I find it to be a good thing. 

Reason 1: Our Faith Was Grown 

My family follows Christ. We all have a personal relationship with Him, but before my brother was diagnosed, we were kind of lazy Christians. Yes, we went to church, read our Bibles, and all that good stuff, but I don't think any of us remembered how crazy amazing it was when we were saved. 

We didn't daily think about how great God is, how powerful He is, or how much He was really doing in our lives. I think God placed this roadblock in our lives just to get us to focus back on HIM. We couldn't have gotten through it without Him, and our faith was solidified and reignited. 

Reason 2: Reaching People for Christ 

Dealing with the monster that cancer is gave us a whole new spin on our testimonies. People across the United States were hearing about Jesus through my dad's blogs, because he got to talk about how strong He made our family, especially my brother. Whoever talked to/hung out with/was around Morgan was shown Christ, because nobody could believe that a kid going through something like that could be so unbelievably strong, happy, and thankful. 

Morgan's attitude about the whole thing was shown when my dad asked him if he was scared. Morgan kind of laughed, and replied, "Why should I be? I've got Jesus!" Morgan's faith stood out, and people all around and across the states took notice and talked to us about it. Even Governor Branstad and Rick Santorum were astounded and encouraged by the courage and belief that God had given Morgan.

Morgan and Tim Hawkins.    

Reason 3: Watching Prayers Work

I personally know that I didn't value prayer before this. Sure, it was a good thing, but it wasn't something I thought about/did a lot. Through my brother's battle, you could see prayer come to live! It was absolutely AMAZING watching things that people had prayed for be answered. 

So even though cancer was a horrible monster that made my brother go bald, get really sick, and be hospitalized many times, not to mention threaten his life, I'm thankful for it. Cancer sucks, but honestly? For our family, cancer was a really good thing. 

Lessons Learned from Charles Spurgeon

 

Lessons Learned from Charles Spurgeon

 



 

 

" Sin to a believer is horrible, because it crucified the Saviour; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear."

 

" I wish that saints would cling to Christ half as earnestly as sinners cling to the devil. If we were as willing to suffer for God as some are willing to suffer for their lusts, what perseverance and zeal would be seen on all sides!"

 

" Doth not all nature around me praise God? If I were silent, I should be an exception to the universe. Doth not the thunder praise Him as it rolls like drums in the march of the God of armies? Do not the mountains praise Him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration? Doth not the lightning write His name in letters of fire? Hath not the whole earth a voice? And shall I, can I, silent be?"

 

"Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor."

 

"Millions have never heard of Jesus. We ought not to ask, "Can I prove that I ought to go?' but, "Can I prove that I ought not to go?""

 

 

I was skimming through different quotes earlier, looking for something to stick out. I feel like we all do that, search for something to resonate within us, something that makes sense. I know I do on a daily basis, and whether or not that's a good thing to do, I have no clue. But anyway, that's what I was doing.

 

Suddenly, I saw the name "Charles Spurgeon". The bulb in the back of my brain glowed dimly as I recognized the name. Muttering in my mind about how he was an awesome man of God, I clicked on his name.

 

I was BLOWN AWAY. The searching that had come from boredom had struck gold. Each quote, every sentence, they all hit me. The quotes above are some that I found extremely convicting/thought-provoking.

 

The last two quotes about knocked me to the ground.

 

 For the past few months, I have had an inward battle. I am an overthinker, one who imagines the worst possibilities, a doubtful Thomas.

 

Those qualities that I wish I could get rid of have caused me to question a thought that keeps popping into my head. "You are supposed to be in missions. Global, international, you need to GO where I'm sending, and it's going to be uncomfortable."

 

I kept questioning what seems to be a call to missions. "Noooo Jesus, you know I think stuff up! It's probably a whim! Um....a guilty thought because of a missions conference? Anything...?"

 

Those doubts about this call have been beaten away lately, and those quotes helped confirm it even more. The word "missionary" seems beautiful. Spurgeon has taught me an important lesson.

(For those of you who don't know who Charles Spurgeon is...there's a magical place...it's called Wikipedia....here ya go :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spurgeon )